Ms. Lounsbury, Math, 6th

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Math- Week of February 2nd

This week, students will wrap up Unit 6, learning how to: Write equations in two variables and analyze the relationship between the two quantities.
 
Students will take their Unit 6 test this week and the Unit 7 pretest. 
 
About Unit 7

 

Does your student help you with projects in the house or yard, perhaps installing floor tiles or spreading grass seed? Many home projects involve finding areas so that you can purchase the correct amount of materials needed for the project. For example, how many bags of mulch would you need to buy to cover your raised garden bed? How many rolls of wallpaper do you need to cover the walls of a room?

You and your student can discuss how to find areas for projects you might tackle around your home. You can ask the student:

  • “Suppose we covered a large section of wall with chalkboard paint. How would we find the area we wanted to paint?” Your student might answer, “Measure how high and how far across, then multiply.” Then ask, “If one quart of paint covers 65 square feet of wall, how many quarts would we need to paint the blackboard section with 2 coats?” Your student would multiply the area by 2 and compare that number to 65. For example, a blackboard 8 feet wide and 5 feet high is 40 square feet, and 2 coats would be 80 square feet. One can of paint would not be enough.
  • “Suppose we put new carpet in your bedroom. How many square feet would we need to buy? How would we figure this out?” Your student might answer, “Measure each wall of the room and multiply. If the room isn’t a perfect rectangle, divide it into smaller pieces that are easier to work with.”

Getting your student involved with home projects develops useful skills for helping around the house, finding a part-time job, and eventually being responsible for his or her own home.

Enjoy your time working together!

Have a wonderful break!

I hope everyone has a wonderful break! I will see you all when I return from Maternity leave. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Dewar at [email protected].
 
Thank you,
 
Christine Lounsbury 

Week of December 12

Hello, 
 
We will be finishing up our Unit 5 on Algebraic expressions. Students will have Monday and Tuesday to complete their unit 5 Math test. 
 
Mrs. Lounsbury 
 

Week of November 17th

Hello,
 
Dear Family,
We often shop for groceries, clothing, school supplies, or even a car. When 
we are spending our money, we always try to get the best deal. This is where 
the use of percents can be valuable.
How often have we waited for a sale before making a purchase? Don’t we get 
excited when we receive a coupon discounting the price of something we want 
to buy? It is important to compare the prices when looking at two different 
brands of something. Which item gives us more for our money (a better 
value)?
Spend some time with your student looking at the sale prices or coupon 
discounts for things you want to buy, and talk about how they affect the 
price and the value of your purchases. For example, you and your student 
might talk about the following:
 This pair of shoes is regularly priced $45. It is on sale for 15% off 
the regular price. How much will we save if we buy the shoes while 
they are on sale?
 We have two different coupons to buy that box of cereal. One coupon 
is for $0.50 off the regular price. The other coupon is for 30% off 
the regular price. The regular price of the cereal is $3.99. Which 
coupon should we use to save the most money?
The next time you go shopping, ask your student how he or she can help you 
determine the best way to save money on the purchase and how much you will 
save. Have your student keep track of the total amount you save on the 
shopping trip.
Enjoy your savings!

Request to Keep Classroom Free of ChapStick, Lip Products, and Lotions

Hello,
 
Thank you for your help keeping our classroom safe. Please ensure that no make-up, ChapStick, lip gloss, or lotion is brought into my classroom. These items do not list allergens, and we have had two incidents where lip products caused allergic reactions. For the safety of students and staff with allergies, please do not allow these items in the classroom.
 
Thank you for your cooperation
 
 

Christine Lounsbury

5/6 Teacher

Westgate Community School

K-12 Gifted Education for the Whole Child

Thornton, CO 80241

303-452-0967

Week of November 11th

Hello,
 
This week students will be finishing our unit on Ratios. We will be taking our assessment on Wednesday. Our next unit will be on Percentages. 
 
Mrs. Lounsbury 

Week of October 27th

 
Dear Family,
Sports and games provide an opportunity to relax and have fun with our 
families and friends. The nature of competition gives us an opportunity to 
explore mathematics at the same time.
When we are competing, we are often thinking about how we are doing. Are we 
hitting the ball as well as we did last year? Are we running faster now than at 
the beginning of the season? Are we currently winning, or is our opponent 
winning? Even if we are only watching a game, many of us tend to obsess over 
our favorite player’s and team’s performances.
Spend some time with your student talking about your family’s favorite sport 
or game. What kinds of “stats” are kept about the players and events? How 
does that help you understand the game? For example, you and your student 
might talk about the following:
 How are batting averages figured out in baseball and softball? What 
does this tell you about the next time your favorite player is at bat?
 What does the ratio of red pieces to black pieces tell you about how a 
game of checkers is going? Who’s winning?
 How fast can you run a 100-meter sprint? Do you think you could run 
the same speed in the 200-meter or the 400-meter?
Next time your team is playing their big rival, ask your student how he or she 
could predict who will win. Do you think it matters more what each team’s 
average score is, or what the win-loss ratio is for the two teams? What kind 
of information could help you decide which team is better?
Enjoy the game!

Week of September 29th

Hello,
 
This week students will be completing their unit 2 assessment and then their Benchmark assessment that combines both chapters 1 and 2. 
 
Mrs. Lounsbury 

Week of September 8th

Hello,
 
This week students will be learning about dividing fractions. I have also given each student a practice assessment from Unit one. Students who complete these can improve their test grade. Please ask your student if they need to work on their practice Unit one to improve their grade. 
 
Mrs. Lounsbury

Week of August 30th

Dear Family,
Many of us have a number of recipes 
that we enjoy preparing. Perhaps 
they are old family recipes or simply 
someone's favorite meal. Some recipes 
we can prepare without much effort: 
a quarter cup of butter, a quarter cup 
of flour, and two cups of milk for a 
white sauce.
However, when we have guests over for 
dinner, we find these familiar recipes 
have to be adjusted. Maybe we have to make three times as many servings. 
Now we need three quarter cups of butter, three quarter cups of flour, and 
so on.
Sometimes we want to make a smaller portion, such as when part of the family 
is away. Now we find ourselves using half a quarter cup of butter, half a 
quarter cup of flour, and so on.
You and your student can discuss strategies for preparing a meal when you 
have to change the recipe. For example, you might ask your student:
 “We have to use two quarter cups of sugar. Should we use the 1/4 cup 
measure twice, or use the 1/2 cup measure?” Your student may answer, 
“The amount will be the same either way.”
 “The recipe calls for 2/3 cup of milk, but we only want a half batch. 
What measuring cup should we use?” Your student may answer, “Use the 
1/3 cup measure, but only once.”
 “Grandma's brownie muffin recipe makes enough for three dozen 
muffins, but we only want one dozen. What should we do?” Your student 
may answer, “We can divide the recipe measures by three.”
Sometimes you have to make a judgment call. How do you cut the recipe in half, 
if it calls for three eggs? Talk with your student about different strategies 
for changing a recipe like this.
Enjoy your cooking time together

Week of August 25th

Hello, 
This week we will be learning to find the least common multiple. We will then be taking our first unit assessment on Thursday on, Exponents, Order of Operations, Greatest Common Factor, Least Common Multiple, and Prime factorization. I am adding a video here for the Least Common Multiple startegy we will be using. 
 
 
Mrs. Lounsbury